Summary
It’s time to learn how to talk so you feel heard. You don’t need to learn how to speak publicly to go on a stage, but you do need to know how to speak to advance any personal or professional relationships you will have. In this episode of how to twenty-something, Actor and Speaking Coach, Brian Lafontaine, shows how he has related his acting experience to the way he helps his clients learn how to put their best foot forward. We talk about vulnerability, storytelling, not being afraid of being the youngest, how to avoid filler words and so much more.
Key Takeaways:
- How to make your ‘talk’ not a one way conversation
- Using your vulnerable side to connect with your audience
- What happens when you’re the youngest one in the room having to speak
- Getting over stage fright or nerves
- Why you need to learn how to storytell
- The balance between providing too much detail and not enough
What causes filler words like "um" and "like," and how do I stop using them?
Filler words usually fill the space where a pause or period should go, often because you don’t feel confident the silence is okay. Practicing intentional pauses (treating them like punctuation) helps slow you down and cuts filler naturally.
What matters more in a presentation, what I say or how I say it?
Delivery carries more weight than content: research cited in the episode breaks it down as roughly 38% voice, 55% nonverbal communication, and just 7% actual words. That means tone, body language, and energy are doing most of the work.
How do I stop feeling like I have nothing worth saying when I speak in public?
Everyone’s experience is legitimate at any age. You don’t need decades of experience to have something valuable to say, you just need to be curious, honest about what you’ve learned so far, and open to learning from people who’ve been at it longer than you.
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Ep. 146 For if you overthink what you say with Dayna Gowan
Ep. 103 If you want to make more money, do this… with Karishma Wadhwani